At first glance, “getting to the point” sounds rather strange. What is so complicated here, but why and why someone comes to it, few people think about it, we are simply dealing with an established expression, the meaning of which is known to everyone,
There are several versions of the history of the origin of this expression.
One of them is associated with the so-called “handle” of the roll. Kalachis have been very popular in Rus' for a long time. The shape of this flour product suggests a jumper handle, which makes it convenient to hold it while eating. Either for sanitary and hygienic reasons, or because of the obvious excess of the product, this very pen was given to beggars or animals in general. It is clear that those who did not disdain to eat the leftovers of other people's food were at the extreme level of poverty, and they spoke of such people as having “reached the bottom,” that is, to the very handle of the roll.
The second option is also associated with the very bottom of society. There is a version that such people could be entrusted with hard work with a penny pay, requiring neither experience nor knowledge, which consisted of setting machinery in motion using muscle power and came down to twisting or moving the handle of mechanisms, much like the rotation of millstones using the draft power of animals.
There is also an “Arab trace” in the interpretation of the origin of the expression. Some linguists do not exclude a connection with the Arabic word "rukka", denoting a difficult life situation, which was subsequently transformed into “handle” using a diminutive suffix.
As always, when considering the history of the origin of established phraseological units, almost incredible options arise, but with the same beggarly negative context, for example, “reach the handle” - the hand of an alms giver, “reach the handle” in the sense of the handle of the coffin (in my opinion, the most implausible version is that the widespread use of coffin handles in those days is very doubtful).
Regardless of its origin, this expression always has a meaning that speaks of the difficult situation of someone who has reached the point of reaching the extreme, falling into the lowest strata of society, and is used, as a rule, to characterize a degraded person.
However, modern linguistic metamorphoses and not the best knowledge of the native language lead to further semantic transformation of the expression. I have repeatedly heard the use of phraseological units to mean an extreme degree of inadequate state. And here the “handle” itself appears as an insignificant element; just the word “reached” would be enough. But in any case, the meaning of the expression remains, which speaks of a negative, extremely undesirable state of affairs or condition.
The expression “reach the pen,” as is known, means to completely descend, to lose human appearance. Indeed, reaching the handle means sinking to some low level. The dictionary of phraseological units offers the following interpretation: If you get to the point of losing everything, you will fall to the bottom of the social or moral ladder.
How did this expression come about? Here are the versions...
At the same time, the mysterious “handle” in the aphorism is just a part of an ordinary bakery product - kalach. Kalachis have been baked in Rus' since ancient times, both in cities and villages. Information about the sale of bread products to townspeople is also contained in Novgorod sources. The takeaway baked goods were made from unleavened dough in the shape of a castle with a round handle.
The townspeople loved to buy kalachi from merchants and eat them right on the street, holding them by a special part - the handle, which was the crosspiece of the kalach. For reasons of hygiene, the pen itself was not eaten, but was given to the poor or thrown to be eaten by dogs. This is where the expression came from: to reach the handle.
A man who did not hesitate to eat a handle from someone else’s kalach put himself on a par with street dogs.
But for some reason I am more inclined to this version:
The expression “get to the point” means to reach the lowest level of trust in you from society. The expression “get to the point” is associated with the reality of pre-revolutionary Russia. After the agrarian reforms, many peasants went to the cities to earn money. Some people, torn from their usual village environment, sank in the difficult conditions of the urban way of life, sharply joining the specific social group of “tramps”, similar to the homeless people we know. No one wanted to hire tramps who did not have any industrial skills, who usually drank heavily, for jobs that required even basic skills; they even tried not to allow them into the territory of warehouses or factories (theft, a high risk of injury for people in a state of constant hangover).
Gradually, an extremely specific form of using the labor of completely degraded tramps arose: in a number of technically very simple industries, the drive of the simplest machine was brought out through the wall of some small handicraft factory. In the mornings, a crowd of tramps gathered in front of the factory gates, a foreman came out, selected “candidates”, brought them to the wall, attached a HANDLE to a drive sticking out of the wall and assigned a job to the tramps: turn the handle one by one, continuously until the end of the working day, that is, perform the simplest mechanical drive function.
Nowadays, “getting to the bottom” is when you have sank to nowhere else. homeless people and simply people who do not want to live a normal life, who have sunk to the very bottom...
And here is another version:
In ancient times, if you owed money, for example, to a feudal lord, then he could send people and confiscate things from you for this amount, they could take everything, leaving only door handles, and when they took everything from you and only the handle remained, then this meant “Get to pens "
A certain circle of people have their own system, which we periodically observe in public places.
There are several versions of the origin of this famous idiom. On the one hand, Bulgakov’s hero mentioned this phrase Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy in the novel “The Master and Margarita”: “Before his dream, Nikanor Ivanovich did not know the works of the poet Pushkin at all, but he knew him very well and several times every day he uttered phrases like: “Will Pushkin pay for the apartment?” “Or “So Pushkin unscrewed the light bulb on the stairs?”, “So Pushkin will buy oil?” But, most likely, this phrase arose even before the novel was written, and Bulgakov simply included an idiom popular in Soviet times into the work. The fact is that in 1937 the USSR widely celebrated the centenary of the death of the great poet. It was then that Pushkin became “our everything,” monuments to him appeared in almost all cities, in many and several at a time, and his portraits now hung in public places. Some experts believe that this is what contributed to the popularization of the expression: in any controversial situation, one could easily point to the image of Alexander Sergeevich and ask whether the opponent would like to shift his responsibilities, for example, to Pushkin.
Run in a hurry
Popykha in Rus' was a type of underwear, something like pantaloons. If people are running around in their underwear, it means that something out of the ordinary has happened - for example, a fire in the house, or some other misfortune. In such cases, people forget about decency and run away in their clothes, in a hurry and fuss. This is where the expression “run in a hurry” comes from - to be in a hurry.
To hell with the middle of nowhere
In Rus', forest glades or islands in a swamp were called kulichki. People believed that evil spirits liked to settle there. And since such places are often located deep in the forest, far from human habitations, “in the middle of nowhere” began to mean: very close.
Give the go-ahead
In the pre-revolutionary alphabet the letter “D” was called good. In the set of signals in the fleet of those times, the flag corresponding to this letter meant: “yes, I authorize.” This is where the expression “give the go-ahead” came from, and later the derivative “approve”.
Places not so remote
Before the revolution in Russia, there were two categories of exile. The first is “to remote places of Siberia,” for malicious lawbreakers. The second “to not so remote places in Siberia” is a more lenient punishment. For some reason, it was the second type of exile that turned from an official term into a kind of synonym for the words “prison” and “colony.”
Reach the handle
In Rus', rolls were often baked in the shape of a castle with a round bow. The bow was needed for hygiene reasons: kalachi is a popular street food, and there was no place to wash your hands on the street. Therefore, a person, while eating a kalach, held it by the handle, which was then given either to dogs or to beggars (it was not customary to throw away leftover food). It was about those who did not disdain to finish eating the arches, and they began to say “reached the end.” This means going completely downhill.
Every dog has his day
During medieval Rus', townspeople settled together based on their occupation: there were streets of butchers, potters, and sewing masters. They lived quite separately, but people from the surrounding areas were invited to the holidays, which each street had its own. Each invitee knew: today he was visiting, but soon there would be a holiday on his street.
Inside out
Shivorot is a luxurious embroidered collar that nobles during the time of Ivan the Terrible wore as one of the signs of dignity. If a boyar fell into disgrace, he was subjected to a shameful punishment: he was placed on a thin mare with his back forward, wearing clothes turned inside out, that is, his collar was turned inside out. Since then, this expression has come to mean something done incorrectly, on the contrary.
Hanging dogs
“Hang all the dogs” now means blaming, blaming, sometimes even undeservedly. In fact, animals have nothing to do with this saying. The inflorescences of burdock, that is, thorns, were called dogs. Which, indeed, can be pinned on someone.
Stop by for a light
An expression associated with the tradition of hospitality - in small towns of pre-revolutionary Russia it was the custom to invite guests by placing a tall candle in the window. If you can see a light burning on a windowsill from the street, it means that the owners of the house will be happy to have guests. Nowadays this expression means “to come to visit without an invitation,” but back then it was the fire of the candle that served as an invitation.
Impoverishment, an extreme degree of hopelessness - such human states are characterized by the expression “reached the point.” There are several versions of the origin of this catchphrase.
For a long time now we have not used nets for potatoes and string bags for other products. But once upon a time there were no such devices for carrying food, but it was necessary to carry them, including bread.
The famous kalach has been baked in our country for a long time. So, when there were no all kinds of nets, bags and packaging bags, rolls were baked with handles so that they could be carried. After the roll was on the table, the handle was broken off and thrown into the trash or given to the poor, since the hands holding the handle were often, to put it mildly, not sterilely clean. The beggars had no choice, and they picked up the handles from the rolls and ate them. From there, the expression “got to the point” came into use. 
Another version of the appearance of the expression “get to the point” in everyday life dates back to the time when Emperor Alexander the First, by his decree, abolished serfdom in Russia. A significant part of the peasants, having gone bankrupt and unable to take advantage of their newfound freedom, went to the cities in search of income. And since the peasants, naturally, did not have any production skills, they had to take on any, even the most unskilled work.
For example, for a pittance of money, one had to take turns turning the drive handle of a machine that provided light to the production premises of factories, since not everyone had electricity in the second half of the 19th century. In this case, the expression “reached the handle” was directly related to the fact that out of despair the person was forced to take up the handle - the most unskilled labor. 
But even in our time, this catchphrase has the same meaning as it did centuries ago - impoverishment, going to extremes, the need to take on any, even the most unskilled, job in order to feed yourself.
There are phrases that we use every day in speech and do not even think about their original meaning and origin. Why do women wash their bones? Why seven Fridays a week? What handle do they reach? Who are teapots really? Why do they leave in English and not in French?
Master of sour cabbage soup
About someone who knows little, we say “master of sour cabbage soup.” The origin of the saying is quite simple. Sour cabbage soup (apparently in its simplest variation) was a simple meal: water and sauerkraut. It was not difficult to prepare cabbage soup. And if someone was called a “master of sour cabbage soup,” it meant that he was not fit for anything worthwhile.
Add the first number
The good old method of education with a belt was sometimes famous for its special zeal when the student suffered a lot. In order to alleviate some of the guilt, the mentor freed the student from the following vices until the first day of the next month.
bosom friend
The phrase "bosom friend" is used to denote a very close friend, and the old expression "pour in the Adam's apple" meant "".
Plant the pig
The dislike of some peoples for pork, which came from biblical times, left its mark on this expression - by putting pork in the food of a non-lover of pork, they were doing a huge dirty trick.
Out of place
They say that only the animal that pleases the yard will live in the yard. If you didn’t like it, you weren’t welcome - he’d get sick or leave.
Hanging dogs
“They hang dogs on him” they say when someone is unfairly accused. It would seem that what dogs have to do with it. But the word “dog” at one time had another meaning - burdock, thorn.
No stake, no yard
The phrase speaks of extreme poverty. Everything is clear about the yard, but there is a version about the stake. At one time, a strip of land 2 fathoms wide was called a “stake.” Thus, not having a stake means not having arable land; not having a yard means living with others.
The highlight of the program
The highlight of the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris was the opening of the Eiffel Tower, which looked like a nail.
Orphan Kazan
The phrase “orphan of Kazan” is used in relation to a person who pretends to be offended or helpless in order to pity someone, although this phrase is often used as a good-natured joke. After the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, the Tatar princes (Mirzas) became subjects of the Russian Tsar. At the same time, they always tried to beg from the king all sorts of indulgences and benefits, complaining about their bitter fate.
Newspaper duck
“One scientist, having bought 20 ducks, immediately ordered one of them to be cut into small pieces, which he fed to the rest of the birds. A few minutes later he did the same with another duck, and so on, until one remained, which thus devoured 19 of its friends.” With this story published in the newspaper, the Belgian humorist Cornelissen wanted to mock the gullibility of the public. Since then, such news has been called “newspaper ducks.”
Reach the handle
In Ancient Rus', rolls were baked in the shape of a castle with a round bow. Townspeople often bought rolls and ate them right on the street, holding them by this bow or handle. For reasons of hygiene, the pen itself was not eaten, but was given to the poor or thrown to be eaten by dogs. According to one version, about those who did not disdain to eat it, they said: they got to the point. And today the expression “reach the pen” means to completely descend, to lose human appearance.
Get this on your nose
This expression is often said today in full confidence that the nose is meant. An ordinary human nose. Sometimes they also point at your nose. Meanwhile, this is a mistake... Nose used to be called a special writing board. It was worn along with special sticks, which were used to make various notes or notches for memory. Indeed, in ancient times, with all its severity, no one made any notches on their personal nose as a souvenir.
Latest Chinese warning
In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft often violated Chinese airspace for reconnaissance purposes. The Chinese authorities recorded every violation and each time sent a “warning” to the United States through diplomatic channels, although no real action followed them, and such warnings were counted in the hundreds. This policy has given rise to the expression “China's final warning,” meaning threats without consequences.
Goof
Prosak used to be called a special machine for weaving ropes and ropes. It had a complex design and twisted the strands so tightly that getting clothes, hair, or beard into it could cost a person his life. It was from such cases that the expression “get into trouble” came about, which today means to be in an awkward position.
Why are newcomers called “dummies”?
A teapot is an inexperienced user, a person who does not know how to efficiently use a personal computer to the extent necessary for him. The term comes from mountaineering. Experienced climbers call a kettle a beginner who has made his first ascent to the top of a mountain. As a rule, the first thing such people do is not take the necessary actions to set up the camp, but pose for photographers, resting one hand on their side and putting the other to the side, leaning on an ice axe, ski pole, etc., which is why their silhouette strongly resembles a teapot.
If we don't wash, we'll just ride
In the old days, village women used a special rolling pin to “roll” their laundry after washing. Well-rolled laundry turned out to be wrung out, ironed and clean, even if the wash was not of very high quality.
Go crazy
The word “go crazy” is used quite often in everyday life. As you know, it means a situation where a person has lost the ability to clearly perceive the surrounding reality and think adequately. It is interesting that the origin of the word is associated with the large-scale events of 1771, it was then that the war raged in Moscow. Eyewitnesses described the following symptoms in people: “The speech of the patients is unintelligible and confused, the tongue seems to be frozen, or bitten, or like that of a drunk.” The plague manifested itself in chills, fever, headache and confusion. The memory of the above events is reflected in the word “go crazy”, which we now apply to much less serious situations.
Scapegoat
According to the ancient Jewish rite, on the day of remission of sins, the high priest placed his hands on the head of the goat and thereby laid the sins of the entire people on it. The goat was then taken into the Judean desert and released. This is where the expression “scapegoat” comes from.
Leave in English
When someone leaves without saying goodbye, we use the expression “left in English.” Although in the original this idiom was invented by the British themselves, and it sounded like ‘to take French leave’ (“to leave in French”). It appeared during the Seven Years' War in the 18th century as a mockery of French soldiers who left their unit without permission. At the same time, the French copied this expression, but in relation to the British, and in this form it became entrenched in the Russian language.
Blue blood
The Spanish royal family and nobility were proud that, unlike the common people, they traced their ancestry to the West Goths and never mixed with the Moors who entered Spain from Africa. Unlike the dark-skinned commoners, blue veins stood out on the pale skin of the upper class, and therefore they called themselves sangre azul, which means “blue blood.” From here this expression for denoting aristocracy penetrated into many European languages, including Russian.
Big boss
The most experienced and strong barge hauler, walking first in the strap, was called a cone. This evolved into the expression "big shot" to refer to an important person.
Washing the bones
The Orthodox Greeks, as well as some Slavic peoples, had a custom of secondary burial - the bones of the deceased were removed, washed with water and wine, and put back. If the corpse was found undecayed and swollen, this meant that during life this person was a sinner and he was under a curse - to emerge from the grave at night in the form of a ghoul, vampire, ghoul and destroy people. Thus, the ritual of washing the bones was necessary to ensure that there was no such spell.
Seven Fridays a week
Previously, Friday was a day off from work, and, as a result, a market day. On Friday, when they received the goods, they promised to give the money due for it on the next market day. Since then, to refer to people who do not fulfill their promises, they say: “He has seven Fridays in a week.”
Quietly
The word sape means "hoe" in French. In the 16th-19th centuries, the term “sapa” was used to denote a method of digging a trench, ditch or tunnel to approach fortifications. Gunpowder bombs were sometimes placed in tunnels to castle walls, and specialists trained to do this were called sappers. And from secretive digging of mines came the expression “slyly,” which today is used to denote careful and unnoticed actions.
The material used paintings by Vasya Lozhkin, the first artist in the world who realized that the most popular cat on the Internet, whose drawing is doomed to success.